It's 8:00pm.
Pope Benedict XVI has resigned!

Benedict XVI (born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; 16 April 1927) is Pope Emeritus of the Catholic Church since he served as the 265th pope from 2005 to 2013.

Why did Pope Benedict XVI resign?

He said that his strengths [mental and physical], due to an advanced age, were no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

“Strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me,” he said.

Is it normal for popes to resign?

There is nothing wrong with Papal resignation, but it is rare. The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII in 1415; that's about 600 years ago!

What are the two things that would necessitate the election of a new pope?

Death or the voluntary resignation of the current one.

Throughout history, about 9 popes have resigned.

Pope Benedict XV1 resigned 8:00pm this night [28/February/13], making him the first pope to resign, roughly in the last 600 years, as Pope Gregory XII had resigned in 1415.

Popes that had resigned include:

Pope Pontian in 235 AD.
Pope Marcellinus in 304 AD?
Pope Liberius in 366 AD.
Pope John XVIII in 1009 AD.
Pope Gregory VI in 1046 AD?
Pope Benedict IX in 1048 AD?
Pope Celestine V in 1294.
Pope Gregory XII in 1415 AD.
Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.

When will the next pope be elected?

There would be elections some time in March and it's anticipated that there would be a new pope on or before Easter.

Who is a cardinal?

A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available individually or in groups to the pope if he requests their counsel. Most cardinals have additional duties, such as leading a diocese or archdiocese or running a department of the Roman Curia.

What is papal conclave?

A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a new Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope. The pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church. The conclave has been the procedure for choosing the pope for more than half of the time the church has been in existence, and is the oldest ongoing method for choosing the leader of an institution.

Conclaves are today held in the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City.

The conclave normally takes place 15 days after the death of the pope, but the Congregations may extend the period to a maximum of 20 days in order to permit other cardinals to arrive in the Vatican City.

What is the election process?

Pope Benedict XVI's successor will be chosen by 118 cardinal-electors (those younger than 80 years old) through ballots held in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.

The cardinals will first celebrate the Votive Mass, "Pro Eligendo Papa." Later, the cardinals begin the election process.

The cardinals draw lots to select three members to collect ballots from the infirm, three "tellers" to count the votes and three others to review the results.

Blank ballots are then prepared and distributed. The ballots are rectangular in shape and must bear in the upper half, in print if possible, the words "Eligo in Summum Pontificem," meaning "I elect as supreme pontiff." The electors write the name of the candidate on the lower half and fold it in two.

After writing the name of one man on his ballot, each of the active cardinals -- those under 80 years of age -- walks to an altar in order of seniority and pledges to perform his duty with integrity. Each cardinal then places a folded ballot containing his choice onto a small disc made of precious metal and drop it inside a chalice.

After all votes are cast, the tellers tally the ballots and the result is read to the cardinals. If a cardinal receives two-thirds plus one of the votes, he is the new pontiff.

If there is no winner, another vote is taken. If there is still no winner, two more votes are scheduled for the afternoon.

After the votes are counted each time, the ballots are burned. If there has been no winner, a chemical is mixed with the ballots to produce black smoke when they are burned.

Sight of the black smoke emerging from the roof of the Vatican Palace tells those waiting in St. Peter's Square that a pope has not yet been selected.

When a winner has been selected, the ballots are burned alone, and the white smoke indicates there is a new pope.

How is the result of the vote broadcast?

When a person is elected the new pope. The ballot papers used in the election are burned, producing a clear smoke. Sight of the clear smoke emerging from the roof of the Vatican Palace tells those waiting in St. Peter's Square that a new pope has been elected.

If there has been no winner, a chemical is mixed with the ballots to produce black smoke when they are burned. Sight of the black smoke emerging from the roof of the Vatican Palace tells those waiting in St. Peter's Square that a pope has not yet been selected.

What will Pope Benedict do after his resignation?

Pope Benedict said he would devote his time to reflection and prayer. He would no longer be involved in decision making or administrative duties.

Where will he live?

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will move to the pope's summer residence, Castel Gandolfo.

At a later date [after a successor is named] he will move into a monastery, Mater Ecclesiae at the Vatican, to lead a life of prayer and reflection.

What will "Pope" Benedict be known as now that he's resigned?

Normally, you can address him by his Christian name, as His Eminence or Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He is no longer Pope Benedict XVI. However, he has chosen to be addressed as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and will retain "His Holiness."

Who can be a pope?

Any baptized man in good standing could be elected pope, according to canon law, a group of laws that guide the Catholic hierarchy. Women cannot be named pope because they are unable to become ordained priests in Catholicism.

Though canon law doesn’t spell out the explicit qualifications that a pope needs, there are laws that do outline how the College of Cardinals could select someone who isn’t a bishop or a cardinal. In that case, the man selected pope would first have to be consecrated as a bishop before he was made pope.

According to Charles J. Reid Jr., a professor of law at University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis., the existence of these laws proves that if the Catholic leaders wanted to, they could select any Catholic male.

That, however, is extremely rare. The last time a noncardinal was elected pope was when Urban VI was elected to lead the church in 1379.

What is Fisherman's Ring?

It is a ring put on the finger of a newly elected pope, made of gold, with a representation of St. Peter in a boat, fishing, and the name of the pope around it.

It's written that popes were accustomed to sealing their private letters with "the seal of the Fisherman", whereas public documents were distinguished by the leaden "bulls" attached. From the fifteenth century, however, the Fisherman's ring has been used to seal the class of papal official documents known as Briefs.

A new ring is cast in gold for each Pope. When a Pope resigns or dies, his Fisherman's Ring, and his personal seal will be destroyed. The destruction is done in order to prevent the sealing of backdated, forged documents.

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May the Lord Jehovah lead all who thirst for the Truth in Christ Jesus to Eternal Glory in Christ Jesus...
Amen.

We pray thee Holy Spirit of the Living GOD to bring out the next Pontificate, as you did in Acts 1:15-26.

Good one. A very valuable piece of info.